ANT
What activities/art-form did you pick up as a kid that shaped you into the artist you are today? In what way do YOU think it shaped you?
“I grew up playing a lot of sports, but the main one I played was football. I spent 9 years playing for the same team, and it instilled this sense of teamwork and coming together to be a part of something larger than yourself for me. I never saw myself as a filmmaker until a few years ago, but it really clicked for me the first time I got on set for the first time and saw everyone from all the different departments working together to create a film. I sum it up as this idea that we’re all cogs in a machine, and even the tiniest cog failing can lead to the whole thing falling apart.”
Were you picked on as a child? If so how? How do you think that affected your life today as an artist?
“I was always smaller than everyone else but thankfully it was never really something people held against me with malice. I remember my last two years of football, the weight limit for 7th and 8th graders was 150lbs. I was half that weight. I didn’t play much but when I did I would get thrown around like a rag doll. I’d like to think that people saw that and had at least a little respect for me. I look at people struggling on set in the same way - yeah, this job sucks sometimes, and you’re gonna be sweating rigging something up at 4 in the morning, but being willing to do that is enough to earn my respect.”
What daily activity makes you feel most connected to your hands within your Art-form?
“Right now I’m working as a barista and I think the main reason I love it is because it’s about making something for someone else in the hopes that they’ll find enjoyment in it. I love coming up with new recipes for seasonal menus, and I’m honestly always bragging about how many drinks I can get on the menu. I was also grinding hard for like, 3 years trying to get my latte art game up, just because I love seeing people’s faces light up when you serve them a crazy pour. I’ve also been getting back into photography recently because I love capturing any sort of image, whether still or moving.”
What do you appreciate most about how YOUR art makes you feel?
“I think the best feeling in art is looking back at the artist you were versus the artist you are today. I cut my teeth on the car photography game. I was taking some truly terrible pictures of my friends’ cars and by the end of my time as a car photographer I was shooting for pages with almost a million followers. I still look back at that growing stage as one of the most fun of my life as a photographer.”
What pushes you to be a better artist today?
“I’m crazy competitive, but in a friendly competition kind of way. I want to be as good as the people I admire. In the same vein, I want people who look up to me to be as good as me. When I’m at work and someone says they can do better latte art than me, it’s like, alright, let’s throw down then. But it’s fun because I know one day someone will beat me and it’s back to working to be on top again.”
BONUS QUESTIONS
Do you have any tattoos? If so, which is your favorite and why?
“Yeah, I really love my brook trout tattoo on my arm, an homage to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It’s a reference to the ending passage, which is a reminder of the impermanence of everything we find beautiful in the world. It’s the one I get the most compliments on and people really dig it when I tell them what it means.”
Do you have any scars? What is the story on them?
“One of my dogs bit my hand when I was a kid, which my family found strange because she was always the sweetest dog. It turns out that she was pregnant and ended up giving birth to my favorite dogs I’ve ever owned. For the longest time I wanted a tattoo commemorating her until I realized that she had already left her mark on me in that way.”
What GROUNDS you?
“Pretty much all my friends I have in Savannah, and I have made some truly incredible friends in my time here. My first six months I spent here was in the middle of COVID and all of my classes were online, so I had no friends aside from all my Jersey friends I still talked to. Spending that long basically alone fucked with my head for so long. My friends here are the ones who brought me back. I won’t say any names because I would feel bad accidentally excluding anyone but the ones who know, know.”
How do you wish others describe you?
“It might sound corny but I always just wanted to be seen as a good person. My parents used to call me Father Anthony sometimes because I was never one to get into trouble. I’m always trying to look out for the people in my life, even if it comes at my own expense. I’m not someone that necessarily believes in karma but at the same time, I figure life will pay me back at some point anyways.”
What are your favorite pair of shoes/boots, and why?
“Probably my split toe boots. I was once a sneakerhead and my mantra was, and kind of still is, just wear stuff that fits well and then have a cool pair of shoes. The tabis are super lowkey until you get a close look at them. They’ve served me as wedding shoes and just a casual pair of boots, so the combination of versatility while also being unique enough to make an outfit pop is a pretty cool plus.”
